LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – The drought situation in Central Florida is becoming more severe, and the St. Johns River Water Management District is feeling the strain as it juggles its primary responsibilities.
According to District spokesperson Clay Coarsey, the agency is focused on four critical missions: ensuring water supply, providing flood protection, maintaining water quality, and preserving natural systems.
With the drought intensifying, these essential tasks are facing increasing pressure.
Lake County has recently been classified as experiencing an extreme drought.
Coarsey emphasizes that the water scarcity issue is widespread.
“The water shortage is not confined to Lake County,” he states. “It extends all the way to the district’s northern boundary near Georgia.”
The district says low rainfall is the biggest factor behind the shortage.
Flagler and Marion Counties are also under Phase Three water restrictions, which is why residents are seeing tighter rules.
Coarsey says the district also wants the messaging to be consistent from county to county.
“We wanted to make it very clear so if you went from one county to another you wouldn’t hear different things.”
For many people, the most noticeable change is landscape irrigation.
Instead of watering twice a week, the district is limiting lawn watering to one day a week in Phase Three areas.
The goal is to reduce stress on the aquifer, which supplies drinking water.
Some residents point to development and growth, but Coarsey says the district’s data shows that’s not the main driver.
“The development is not the driver. The driver behind this is those deficit rainfall conditions.”
The district says restrictions could be eased later this summer — but only if conservation improves and rainfall increases enough to make a significant difference.
After hearing talk of a possibility, we also asked about whether restaurants in Phase Three zones might stop automatically serving water at restaurants unless customers ask.
The district says that is not part of its rules — but if restaurants choose to do that anyway, the district says they would have its full support.
